Here's what's up at Organic Armor - Saturday, July 23, 2016:
New website in process! That means this (old) site has missing pictures and navigation issues. We are also having email delays. But it's going to be super beautiful SOON so if you can't find something, please check back in a day or two!

Online Courses

Have you ever had pieces of your costume fall off on the way to an event?

Have you left early because your costume was so uncomfortable?

Have you had your heart broken by finding your hard work squashed or bent??

Have you ever spent too much money on materials and not been happy with the results?

Exquisite costumes made by YOU! Sign up here:

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We’ve been through the struggle too

That’s why artist Paul Hersey invented Organic Armor – after too many times battling costumes that fell apart or were miserably uncomfortable to wear. He didn’t want to suffer to look good He tried paper mache, leather, foam, thermoplastics and other materials but the results of his efforts were far from the grand things he had in his mind to create.

We’ve heard the same complaints from other costumers for years:

“The other methods just didn’t give me the end result I wanted. They were too flimsy and hard to wear for extended periods.”

“My costume disintegrated
while I was wearing it!”

“My headdress gouged my forehead.
The weight gave me a headache.”

We can show you a better way –Make comfortable, versatile and durable costumes that get a lot of attention!

After years of wearing costumes to performances and festivals, all the while experimenting with construction methods, Paul developed something different. An Organic Armor horned helmet or mermaid bra might look like it’s made of wrought metal or delicate shell, but the materials are actually a lightweight and flexible combination of rubber, fiber and acrylic. The techniques create costumes that are durable, easy to clean and bounce back into shape. They can be used to make belts, helmets, shoulder armor and a wide range of other forms.

Jaydee Copperfield in Celopatra headdress, TribalFest

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Overwatch armor

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Venus Uprising in custom bellydance costumes

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The best thing about Organic Armor’s work is that, not only are they beautiful beyond words but
they are so light and secure to dance in, I forget I am wearing them at all.

Jaydee Copperfield, award winning international bellydance star

Paul Hersey’s work has been seen in films and music videos, including Lindsey Stirling’s Master of Tides, and Giorgio Serafini’s Don’t Let Me Go, in photographs by John Farrar, Bob Armstrong, Winterwolf Studios and Laura Dark, and on models Hannah Mermaid, Meagan Machine and Evie Wolfe. It’s been featured in magazines: Femme Rebelle, CosCulture, Yallah, and Kultur; and favored by world renowned dancers Jaydee Copperfield, Neon of World Dance New York, and Badia of Sacramento.

Paul and his wife Jennifer founded Organic Armor in 2007. They have been designing and fabricating beautiful costumes for creative people all over the world ever since. They released the Introduction to the Organic Armor Arts online course in October 2015, after years of other costumers asking if they would teach them. Their new course Horned Headdresses became available for purchase in November 2017.

What’s included:

Both courses have a video series with easy to follow instructions, summaries and tip sheets

Learn by making the demonstration projects, then apply the skills to whatever you dream up

24/7 lifetime access to the online learning materials

Our list of international suppliers and sources for materials

Access to ongoing support via boards and private Facebook group

Discounts on future courses

We will guide you through:

Translating your ideas and sketches into wearable art

Creating the right base – building with rubber and fiber

The magic of sculpting with liquid latex

Horned Headdresses shows moldmaking, latex casting and working with armatures

The best way to get water based paints to stick to rubber

Dry brush and other special paint techniques

Final touches that make your project feel good while wearing

How long does it take?

Once you have all your supplies, the demonstration projects for either course can be completed in 2-4 days.

If your goal is to make a costume for a particular event, we recommend purchasing the course at least six weeks before that. This will give you time to acquire the supplies, do the demo project to learn the basic skills, and then experiment on your own.

You can get the course supplies together for under $50 (detailed list included) which will give you enough material to make more than the demo project.

Bonuses

Our Oogoo for Artists book – the how-to manual for the easy and inexpensive moldmaking technique that allows us to incorporate highly detailed embellishments into our work

Permanent membership in the private Facebook group where an active, international community of students share their projects, questions, answers and enthusiasm

Direct support from teachers Paul and Jennifer as needed

New bonus materials as we create them – PDFs, patterns, tips and tricks

Students speak for themselves about their experience with the course

Erica Cain

“My vision is finally coming to fruition. I’m having so much fun with these, there are so many possibilities! Organic Armor helped me find my medium, now I go to sleep and wake up thinking about my projects.”

Carol Richards

“I’m extremely busy and like how I do not have to stay with the product for long periods of time. I can walk away from it and come back when I have time. I also love how forgiving it is. If I do not like something, I can easily change it.”

Elizabeth Opiela

“The best thing is that the latex is so easy to work with. The most challenging thing is the painting. I am not a painter! But it has been satisfying to find I can use paint to make something beautiful. And I feel I can only get better with time. I love the challenge of finding my way through the new frontiers presented by this course.

Kimberly Carlisle

“I found it easy to do. Being able to interact and ask questions and share projects after watching the videos has been one of the best parts for me.”

Hannah Dare Walker

“I am having a blast with this stuff. I have gone thru gallons of it. I cannot imagine my life before taking this amazing class!”

Rick Gratton

“It was simple steps, simple materials and explained in plain terms, by the end of the day I was blown away on my first work. My finished bands were astoundingly similar to the real deals made by the pros them selves!”

These courses are for you if:

You are a performer, cosplayer, festival reveler, artist, theater geek, or photographer…

who needs a costume that doesn’t weigh you down

is frustrated by uncomfortable or fragile armor

wants to wear something that expresses your unique style

loves to acquire new skills and material know-how

has a small budget and big dreams for your next production

Try a course risk-free. We have a 60 day money back guarantee

We really want you to succeed so we are offering the courses to you without any risk. If you’ve gone through it and are not completely satisfied, please let us know why by email within 60 days of purchase and we’ll issue a full refund.

Invest in your creativity and make wearable art that is an expression of you

200.00 USD

300.00 USD package
includes Introduction course too!

The Horned Headdress course is not available separately from the Introduction course, except to existing students. If you are all ready enrolled in the Intro course and don’t have the link to the separate listing, email us.

If you are concerned about internet access or streaming ability, we also offer the Intro course as a DVD. The Horned Headdress course will be on DVD sometime this winter.